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Mgalekgolo
"They're all scary and angry and they like to smash things..." -Bungie's description of the Lekgolo The Mgalekgolo (Ophis Congregatio, meaning "The congregation of Ophis (Ophis being in Greek "The Serpent)"), more commonly known as the Hunters by humans, are a unique gestalt of smaller creatures known as the Lekgolo, which are tiny, orange, worm-like creatures that group together to exponentially increase their intelligence, strength, and maneuverability. During and after the Great Schism there was a division within the species, some aligning with the Covenant Separatists and others remaining loyal to the Covenant Loyalists. They almost always come in pairs or "bond brothers." The death of one will enrage the other if it witnesses the other's death, except in Halo: Reach. History The Ark and Reseeding The Lekgolo, as their known in worm form, were a extremely primitive race and weren't considered a "sentient" race as they didn't have a government structure, a hierarchy, military or any form of technological achievement. In fact, the Lekgolo thrived in worm colonies, each one able to form a single form, in the form of Mgalekgolo, which are towering monsters encountered during the Human-Covenant War. The Forerunners took little notice of the Lekgolo, as they were neither interesting nor threatening. When the Forerunners fired the Halo Array, the Lekgolo were able to survive it and continue their basic functions, to continue the duration of their colonies. The Taming of the Hunters When the Covenant first arrived over Te, they had already acquired the Kig-Yar and were moving to assimilate the Lekgolo only to discover that Forerunner relics located on Te had been devoured by the Lekgolo. Enraged at this "heresy" to their faith, the Covenant quickly declared war, perceiving the Lekgolo as simple worm creatures, and that they can easily be eradicated. This turned into a fatal error, as the Lekgolo colonies turned into Mgalekgolo, 12 feet tall walking tanks which, using Forerunner technology, were now equipped with energy-based weapons that would later be called Fuel Rod cannons. The Sangheili were well-trained warriors, but they proved no match for the Mgalekgolo, as their forces were decimated. The Mgalekgolo gave them a tremendous and unexpected advantage in combat, halting the Covenant's advance and killing an Arbiter. Before the "decimating" of the covenant forces the Arbiter was assigned to deal with this problem, in which he assembled a fleet above Te. He announced his intentions to glass the planet if the Mgalekgolo don't join the Covenant. Eventually forced to accept, the Lekgolo joined the Covenant hierarchy and were immediately used as shock troops. Human-Covenant War The Mgalekgolo proved to a deadly threat to UNSC troops. They usually fought in pairs which were called "bond-brothers" and if one was killed, the other would become even more powerful, fueled by rage. The UNSC forces were absolutely decimated by Hunters until 2527 where heavy weapons were used to eliminate them. However, the Mgalekgolo's use didn't dwindle, as Covenant tanks such as the Wraith and later, the Scarab, were being introduced into the war effort, allowing the Mgalekgolo to receive backup to add to their already powerful stamina. The Great Schism During the First Battle of Earth, the Jiralhanae were given specific orders to begin systematically wipe out the Sangheili. The majority of the Lekgolo population were too afraid of a repeat of the Taming of the Hunters, and were almost immediately subjugated by the Loyalists, but a small minority joined the Separatists in their fight against the Loyalists, doing it out of loyalty to the Sangheili, as the Sangheili gave them mercy and the Jiralhanae, due to their barbaric nature, would not. By the conclusion of the Battle of Installation 05 and the Quarantine of High Charity, the Mgalekgolo helping the Separatists fled to Te and cut all ties to the war, but the majority helping the Loyalists continued to fight, and in eventuallity, were utterly defeated. The Dark Era and Beyond The conclusion of the Great Schism and the Human-Covenant War lead to a new era on Te. The Loyalist Lekgolo were rejected return to Te, which turned into a Civil War that was quickly solved by the intervention of the Covenant Remnants, who took in the Loyalist Lekgolo, assimilating them once again. However, a vast majority of the Lekgolo involved with the now non-existant Loyalists had change allegiance, joining their allies on Te. The Covenant Remnants threatened to glass Te, but thanks to the intervention of the UGA, were forced to abandon the effort. Seeking protection, the Lekgolo joined the UGA and in exchange were given other worlds to settle, allowing the Lekgolo population to flourish. In return for population expandment, the Lekgolo agreed to provide themselves as shock troops for the UGA military if they ever had to go to war. Description Hunters take the hulking bipedal form in the Covenant military. In this form, they are the strongest and most resilient species in the Covenant. They usually stand between twelve to thirteen feet tall, but when in their combat state they crouch into between eight to eight-and-one-half feet, protecting their visible, unarmored stomach and neck. Though uncommon, the Mgalekgolo can even come in larger sizes and even bigger than the standard Covenant Wraith. Their political motivation is completely unknown.Their armor has a blue luster that makes the orange-red skin of the Lekgolo worms inside very noticeable, but the colony itself is hard to spot. They always fight in pairs due to the fact that when the colony gets too big, it splits into another Mgalekgolo form, creating a powerful bond between the two bond brothers. Hunters fight using heavy Assault Cannons integrated directly into their armor, and they carry an enormous, and nearly impervious metal shield made of an unknown alloy derived from the same material that forms Covenant warship hulls, and weighing approximately two tons. This shield protects them from almost every form of plasma-based or ballistic weaponry available to Covenant and human infantry alike, and is a powerful melee tool capable of crushing anything in its path and allowing the Mgalekgolo to sweep away most enemies in close combat. The Hunter can also gain a surprising burst of speed when it moves in for a melee kill. The Assault Cannon the Hunter wields operates in two modes; one firing a single explosive capsule of incendiary fluid, the other spraying the fluid out like a beam. Anatomy and Physiology Hunters are not a single organism, but rather are composed of multiple small, orange, worm-like beings called Lekgolo, that form a single collective consciousness and act as one, a single "hive-mind", similar to the structure of operation in the Flood. In other words they are a communal organism working together to perform specific tasks. Mgalekgolo are capable of manifesting in several different iterations according to what goal they are striving to achieve and the amount of Lekgolo worms that are present. The Mgalekgolo is the most common form seen in combat during the Human-Covenant war, but is actually one of the more rare forms in the Lekgolo society. This Mgalekgolo is employed by the Covenant as heavy infantry. Their society is predominated by this combination of being able to create exponentially more intelligent creatures, and the actual "Hunter" organism is one of the rarer and smaller forms to be found, used primarily in interaction with the Covenant hierarchy. Because of their make-up of several hundred worms instead of being a single large organism, the Lekgolo are one of the few species in the Covenant that cannot be assimilated by the Flood, as their unique physiology does not allow the organism to access a central nervous system or control them to any capacity. As such, there has never been a Hunter Combat Form, though the flesh of the Lekgolo can most likely be used by the Flood simply for its biomass. The collection of worms that make up a Hunter's body are unintelligent at the most basic level, but can form complex thoughts and emerge as a conscious individual when they combine into larger masses that communicate through chemical and electrical means. The neural net that Hunters develop enables them to be incredibly strong and very sensitive to all things within a 1,000 foot line pointing out from non-combat form, and a half sphere that extends 500 feet in combat form. This could explain why Hunters sometimes can locate the Master Chief even when they cannot see him, or when they are facing the opposite direction. This also explains why Hunters can think and work as an effective combat unit without even using verbal communication. Hunters generally growl during battle but will sometimes talk and make remarks like the other Covenant species. Instead of using vocal chords, like other Covenant species, they vibrate their bodies to make a low rumble that is described as "more felt than heard" to produce speech. It is theorized that Hunters reproduce asexually similar to earthworms; however there is no way to be certain. If true, calling Hunter pairs "mates" would only make sense in term for the pairing of two, not actually mating. Communication Little is known about the Hunters' language. The known names of some Hunters seem to imply that they use very simple vowels, and few consonants—not nearly as many as are contained in the English alphabet. It is known that Hunters do not use vocal chords to speak; instead, they seem to vibrate the Lekgolo in their bodies to produce sound. Their quiet nature amongst other races of the Covenant results either from difficulty speaking with other Covenant races or difficulty tolerating other Covenant races. Hunters' speech can be heard in all of the Halo games, and has changed very little during the course of the series. Hunters tend to make very deep, low rumbling noises when detecting enemies or when wounded. When dying, they seem to emit a low-pitched scream. They also seem to chuckle after a kill. Aside from that, Hunters barely talk. They are, however, capable of mimicking the language of other species via subsonic vibrations, forming words and sentences that are "felt" rather than "heard". Culture Mgalekgolo almost never associate or even communicate with the other races in the Covenant Empire. Sangheili are the sole exception; Hunters appreciate and acknowledge the Elite warriors' thoughts and adeptness in combat. To the other races of the Covenant, however, the Hunters are dismissive, scornful, and arrogant, and they are utterly contemptuous of their foes. Hunters have no qualms about committing friendly fire against the "lesser" races, like Unggoy and Kig-Yar ; during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV, a Hunters was seen running over and killing a Kig-Yar. In Halo 3: ODST, Hunters will attack foes regardless of any allies that happen to be in their line of fire, as demonstrated in the game's final campaign mission. Many members of the Covenant are mystified and confused by the Mgalekgolo; their way of life is almost as alien to the Covenant as that of the Flood. A Sangheili Fleetmaster once noted that Hunters were known to tear opponents apart with their "bare hands" while in a blood frenzy, and then suddenly pause to recite war poetry. It has also been said that Hunters meditate in their spare time, or before battle. During the Great Schism, a few Hunter pairs sided with the Sangheili and the Covenant Separatists, though the majority remained with the High Prophet of Truth and the Covenant Loyalists. There is no known reason for their split in loyalty. It is likely that the Separatist Lekgolo split from the Covenant due to their respect for the Sangheili. It is likely that the Loyalist Lekgolo remained in the Covenant out of fear for their homeworld; the Hunters were integrated into the Covenant during the Taming of the Hunters, when their homeworld was threatened with glassing. No Hunters are ever seen supporting John-117 in Halo 3. This is because in the making of Halo 3, Bungie did not want to confuse players by having them with both the Separatists and the Loyalists, so only the Loyalist ones were shown. Naming Hunters have three names: a personal name, a bond name, and a line name. The personal name is given at their "birth." The line name represents the genetic heritage, being the name of the most successful Mgalekgolo of his ancestors. If one reaches a certain level of status, his offspring will have his personal name as their line name. The bond name, or their middle name, is taken between bonded pairs, colonies that must split into two due to excessive size. Examples of some Hunter names include Igido Nosa Hurru and Ogada Nosa Fasu. From the few Hunter names that have appeared in the novels, it seems that the given name has three syllables, but the bond name and line name only have two syllables. This may be a 7 reference, as 3 + 2 + 2 = 7. However, it is not known why the line name is not three syllables, considering that the ancestor in question's given name would be three syllables. It is most likely not always three syllables or the name is edited (a syllable is possibly taken away) before the offspring is given the line name. Religion All that can be said for certain about Mgalekgolo religious beliefs is that they vary. While the Lekgolo joined the Covenant for its access to space trade routes and starships, rather than any real dedication to the Great Journey, at least some hold a concept of an "afterlife." Other Lekgolo meditate in their spare time, or recite war poetry before or after a battle, showing a more refined nature than would be believed of the hulking, savage warriors. The fact that some allied themselves with the Sangheili during the Great Schism, while the rest remained with the Loyalists, is further evidence that individual beliefs play a major part in the Mgalekgolo religion. Anything further than this is speculation, Lekgolo culture is extremely reclusive, and even their fellow Covenant know little about them other than that they continue to follow their own cultural traditions, rather than the homogenized religion of the wider Covenant. Rank Structure During their time within the Covenant, the Mgalekgolo seemed to have possessed no visible rank. As they are deployed more like equipment or weapons platforms rather than conventional troops, or rank simply might not of applied to them. However, they have been seen deployed apart from other Covenant ground troops, indicating a level of independence and responsibility may be granted. In Halo The Fall of Reach, Mgalekgolo are spotted defending the crystal of Cote d'Azur. Since they are guarding such a high value target, they must have some sort of rank. Another indication of Lekgolo ranking structure is in Halo Reach on the final campaign level, where a Hunter pair is seen leading a squad of Skirmisher Champions. In Halo 3: ODST, there are two forms of Lekgolo. One wears bluish armor, which is identical to Halo 3 Hunters which is armed with a single Assault Cannon which fires a constant burst of incendiary gel. The other wears gold armor, which is armed with a single Assault Cannon which fires single burst rounds of incendiary gel, much like a Hunter in Halo CE. After the War and their joining the UGA, a basic ranking system was applied to the Lekgolo: Lekgolo Minor Minors wear the usual blue armor and are armed with Assault Cannons that fire a constant burst of incendiary gel which vaporizes their targets. They usually work in pairs and on extreme occasion, in large squads of 4. They are usually lead by a Juggernaut. Lekgolo Juggernaut Juggernauts wear special gold armor and are armed with Assault Cannons that fire a single burst of incendiary gel per every 3 seconds, but contains more concentrations of explosive acid, causing a splash effect that can decimate a whole squad in one, well-placed shot. They usually lead a pair of Minors by themselves or when leading groups of Minors, do it in a Juggernaut pair. They usually answer to Lekgolo Primes. Lekgolo Prime Primes wear special white armor and are armed with Fuel Rod Cannons that can fire 3 deadly bursts of highly explosive fuel rods every 5 seconds. They are usually command-and-control units for Juggernauts and Minors and always answer to a Primarch and are almost always encountered on the battlefield. When individually commanding troops, they can lead up to four Juggernauts, trasmitting commands through them to be dispatched to the Minors under their command. When in pairs, Primes command up to 8 Juggernauts and the Minors under their command. Primes always answer to a Primarch. Lekgolo Primarch A Primarch is a rank appointed to a single Mgalekgolo, who acts as overseer of all the Mgalekgolo in a UGA task force or army. They command up to 10 Primes, each Prime commanding 4 Juggernauts and each Juggernaut commanding 2 Minors. This can vary due to pair arrangment (20 Primes, a pair commanding 8 Juggernauts, 80 Juggernauts, a pair commanding 4 Minors, 320 Minors). There is a Primarch for each Mgalekgolo Division, and their are 20 Divisions of in the Mgalekgolo Shock Trooper Corps in the UGA Military, which means 20 Primarchs are in service at all times. Primarchs are heavily armed; lacking a shield, they account for this by wielding 2 Fuel Rod Cannons that fire like a Prime's. Mgalekgolo in Service in the UGA Army By counting all divisions in the UGA's Shock Trooper Corps, you'll be able to find a full list of all Mgalekgolo serving in it. There are 20 Divisions, with the entire Shock Trooper Corps containing Lekgolo. Each division is lead by a Primarch and contains 20 Primes, 80 Juggernauts and 320 Minors. If you add all this up, that is a total of 421 Mgalekgolo in each division, including the Primarch. This may not be alot by human standards, but Mgalekgolo are massive and powerful, and that's basically like having 421 walking tanks to a division. With 421 Lekgolo in each division, we can come to the conclusion that there are 8,420 Mgalekgolo in the Shock Trooper Corps. This is a scary amount because if all 20 divisions fought together, they would essentially overrun every enemy position within minutes, unless a orbital bombardment or air support was called in. Trivia *In Tagalog, "Mga" means "the" in plural use. So Mgalekgolo in english means "The Lekgolo" *If a player is able to jump on top of a Hunter's head in Halo Reach, the player can melee the shields off though it takes awhile, but it's useful. *Oddly enough, other Hunters won't shoot other Hunters, if the character on its head, but other infantry will. If you're on its head, it does a "dance" by fidgeting it's body. *In Halo: The Flood , it mentions that Hunters have skin and a jutting spine. This is incorrect, as they were revealed to be a compound of small worm-like creatures. However, this does not preclude the possibility that the worms may form a skin-like membrane on the outside of their colony for protection against more casual damage, and in Halo 3 a metal column can be seen after the back armor plating has been detached, perhaps forming an artificial "spine" for vertical support. *At first, Hunters were meant to comprise the whole of Heretic forces on the Gas Mine. *In a Bungie Weekly Update, Frank O'Connor said: "Hunter society is complex and we have seen but the tiniest fraction of it. There are some fundamental facts about Hunter biology that mean the combat type is just the tip of the iceberg." This means, or at least implies, that there are other kinds of Hunters that simply have yet to be seen. For example, Scarabs are powered by these worms. *SPARTAN-II William-043 killed a Hunter by ripping a few Lekgolo worms in its body, showing that a Hunter can be killed if too many of its worms are displaced. *The Hunter resembles the enemy of the same name from Bungie's older series Marathon, except that Marathon's Hunter had a shoulder-mounted weapon, rather than an arm-mounted weapon. *Like most other races of the Covenant, Hunters' blood differs from that of humans. Mgalekgolo blood is bright, fluorescent orange and appears to have a very thick, slimy texture. It has also been noted that their blood smells strongly of burnt plastic, hinting that the make-up of their bodily fluids is drastically different from that of a human. *In Halo: First Strike, it was stated that the spikes on the Hunter's back are sensory nodes. Additionally, the spikes on Hunters' backs were said to be as sharp as razors in Halo: The Flood. *In Halo Legends' episode The Duel, the Hunters are shown to be at least 50 feet tall, this was later explained by Frank O'Connor saying that a Hunter's appearance changes due to the gravity and environment. *Hunters are better when bonded, as seen in Halo Wars, one of their upgrades is to fight stronger when bonded with their bonded pair. *When combating Hunters, a player can 'leapfrog' the charging melee attack, either jumping above or to the side of the Hunter. This exposes the rear armor to a quick shotgun blast or grenade stick, often resulting in death on lower difficulties. This tactic does not work as well on Halo 3: ODST, however, as the Hunter's melee swing usually knocks the player away and to the front, not behind. *It is possible to splatter a Hunter with a Mongoose, but it takes multiple times in the back. *In Halo: Combat Evolved : **Hunters are not harmed by Fuel Rod Guns. This may be because you are not supposed to have Fuel Rod cannons in Campaign, or it may be a precaution meant to prevent Hunters from injuring each other when fighting in pairs. **Hunters have ranks in the actor variant tags. One variant is called 'Hunter' and another called 'Hunter major'. In Halo 2, there is no ranking system for Hunters. **In The Silent Cartographer, the two Hunters found near the security override will lazily slump back and move their arms around. Eventually, they will engage a combat stance, but they continue to mind their own business. This process repeats until the Hunters are alarmed. **In Assault on the Control Room, there are two Hunters at the bottom of the pyramid of the Control Room. However, when the player moves close to them, they will not do anything, as if they are "sleeping". If the player makes direct contact or fires, the Hunter will attack. **A single shot from a pistol or sniper rifle will kill a Hunter if shot in the exposed part; this is because the Hunter's skin is considered "critical". Critical determines the vulnerability of a particular location of a object which affects the entire object. For example, if the Banshee's hull was considered critical, one shot from the pistol to it's hull would instantly destroy the entire Banshee. Bungie changed this for''Halo: Reach''. **One blast from the rocket launcher can kill them instantly, as long as it's in the exposed back. **Hunters were also vulnerable to the Assault Rifle and Warthog turret. You never had to hit them in their weak spot. This is because even their armor has health properties, which is why when you shoot them in the armor, their "head" goes back. However, it would take longer to kill them. **If the player empties an assault rifle clip into the exposed flesh of a dead hunter, and then proceeds to move the dead Hunter with an explosive (only to give a clear view of the blood), the large patch of hunter blood will seem to be mixed with small amounts of Flood blood or a substance similar in colour. Why this happens is unknown, though it is most likely a glitch. **It is possible to only melee kill a hunter in Halo:CE but it takes about 8 or more hits depending where you strike and what difficulty you play although it is a risky tactic as the second hunter can still attack you when focusing on the other *In Halo 2 , it is impossible to kill or even damage a Hunter with a melee attack. This is actually useful when they are allies and when doing the Four Hunters Glitch in The Great Journey since the two initial Hunters prefer to stay back in a room and are unwilling to progress. *In Halo Wars, a Hunter can deflect many projectiles that would kill them in Halo 3. Like a Wraith Mortar or a Scorpion main cannon shot. *In Halo: Reach, Hunters have received a huge graphical overhaul. They are much more textured, are larger, have Forerunner symbols and emblems on their armor and appear to have some kind of eyes on their helmets. Unlike the armor of Hunters in previous games, it is more of a grayish-white rather than a metallic blue color, though this is debatable. *In Halo: Reach, Hunters' back spikes will fall off gradually as they take damage. On Tip of the Spear, this is easily observed by harassing the two Hunters guarding the second AA Gun with the Revenant that may be obtained at the mining facility. *In Halo: Reach, Hunters and Drones are the only creatures that cannot be assassinated. *In Halo: Reach, there is a forerunner "I" on the right shoulder. *In a custom firefight match, if one sets their Damage to 300% and hits a Hunter directly with a shot from a Fuel Rod Gun, the Hunter will drop its shield on the ground. However, if shot at with a light weapon, they will try to block it with their shield that they are no longer holding. Additionally, if hit in the back with a Rocket Launcher with said damage, the plate that covers their back may fall off. *It's possible to hit a Hunter in the head, but you would need good aim or luck; however, doing so does not result in a headshot. *Unbonded Hunters do not have the usual spikes on their backs. *In Halo 3: ODST s Firefight mode, a single Hunter will sometimes appear rather than a pair. *Occasionally in Halo: Reach, when a Hunter takes heavy damage and is still alive, you can hear it laugh menacingly. *The Hunter is the only member of the Covenant Army that can't be infected by the Flood. *To kill a Hunter with an Energy Sword, you must strike it from behind due to all that heavy armor guarding the front. As for the Gravity Hammer, you can attack the front or the back because of the massive damage shockwave the hammer delivers. *Hunters are capable of surviving a blast from the Spartan Laser on Legendary difficulty. *It is possible to kill a Hunter when attacking its front, but it can take significantly more damage. *In Halo: Reach, you can kill a Hunter with a energy sword with ease. First jump up and lunge at its head then simply go behind it and hit it anywhere as long as its in the back. *The spikes on the hunter's back will quiver if they take damage to the spine with the armor still on when in''Halo: Reach''. *Hunters in Halo: Reach do not berserk if their partner is killed. Other Category:Major Races